Save the Essex Teddy Bear Spider! Warning: link is to spider pic. Avoid if you're an arachnophobe.
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Today Buglife, a charity devoted to insect and spider welfare, goes to court to try to stop the Royal Mail from building a huge depot on Essex marshland that's home to, amongst other things, this rare spider.

The part of Essex where these creatures live is not the most picturesque part of the county, it's along the Thames and there's lots of ugly industrial and commercial units along that part of the river. It's close to the Lakeside "Retail Park" (ugh!), Tilbury Dock (which is one of the largest container ports in the UK), Arena Essex, and the Dartford Crossing.

But green spaces are few and far between out there, and I think it's vital that this habitat is preserved and the spider doesn't become extinct. I can't imagine there are no other sites available to the Royal Mail for its depot.